Railway-spike.



U. J. MUKNIGHT.

RAILWAY SPKE.

APPLICATION MLBD AUG.18,1909,

963,31 2a., Patented July 5, 1910.

[UNITED STATES OTEY J. MOKNIGHTM or pALHART', Tnms.

RAILWAYSPIKE.

` T all whom it may concern.'

. Be it known that I, OTEY J. MCKNIGn'i, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dal hart, Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Spikes,of which the following is a specification.

My invention .is an improved railway spike, and its purpose is the production of a spike approaching as closely as possible the ordinary spike, solthat it may be made by the same processes and machinery now utilized, but presenting certain featuresof novelty lacking in `the spikesy now being used,`and of which I have knowledge, the object oi these novel features being to make the spike self-locking and prevent its detachment under 4the ordinary strain to which these spikes are subjected.

I am aware that prior to my invention it has been4 proposed to :t'orni :t railwayfspike with a recess beneath the head, forming a .shoulder adapted to engage the lower flange of the rail, and I do not claim this feature broadly as of my invention. My invention, however, while including this feature, provides means in a very simple manner for assuring engagement between the shoulder and the edge of the lower flange of the rail, and maintaining it without danger of detachment. and without requiring any inatcrial change in the spike as 'ordinarily inadc and used.

In the accompanying drawing, l have shown my invention in side elevation in Figure l: Fig. Q is a roar View, andFig.` 3 a front view.

The spike, in its body portion, is of the ordinary construction, rectangular in cross section, as showu'at A, terminating in a tapering end l5. The ordinary head is shown at C projecting forwardly to engage with the rail flange, and having overlapping side portions, as usual. At the point a, the

upper front and rear walls of the spike begin to tiare, forming an inclined wall b on the -front, and au inclined wall n on the rear. These inclined walls are of different pitch, as shown. The front wall inciines upwardly to the point d, where it ceases abruptly to specification @fietsers raient. Patllted July 5, 1910. Application tiled August 18, 1909. Serial No. 513,506-` i form a shoulder, a recess e being made in' the metal for this purpose, and the shoulder is such a distance from the head as to provide for a snug fit over the edge of the rail flange so as to directly engage therewith, and not permit of any lost motion or free play as would otherwise occur. The rear incline, at the point of the shoulder, is approximately-a distance from the rear Wall of the spike proper about double the width of the shoulder. Thus I provide a long,

ginning at the same point as the front iucline, and gradually penetrating the wood therewith, continually exerts a greater pressure toward the front to force the shoulder in beneath the flange as soon as this shoulder clears the edge of the flange. The width of the rear incline and its extent Vis sailicient to assure the forcing of the shoulder beneath the flange of the rail, and to main tain it there. Further than this, the incline is so gradual that there is no tendency to bruise the wood of the tie or cause a rupture of the fiber of the wood, which wou d all tend to permit a loosening of the spike and its disengagementwith the edge of the rail. The diil'ercnce n1 the inclination of ot' the greatest importance, and particularly where the incline begins at'the same point in that there is no'tendeney for the spikevto get out of its truealineinent, and tiere is inst sutlieient additional pressure on the roar to force the shoulder into locking and permanent contact with the edge of the rail.

'hat l claim isz- A\ railway spike having a bod portion with parallel walls and a pointe( end, the front and rear walls near the top flaring outwardly from the saine point to forni inclincs, a shoulder on the front formed b recessing the front incline directly beneat the flange of the head, said shoulder being relatively arranged to directly engage the lower face of the rail edge, the rear incline having a pitch approximately twice that of the Yfront incline so that it extends beyond Ithe line of the rear'face of the spike an inclinedwall at the rear which, while be-,

the front and rear walls I have found to be y extent a roximately double the width of the shoulder, whereby airelatively long ineline is presented to gradually force the shoulder lnto engagement with the rail end, 5 said rear incline ending in a vertical portion arranged oppOSite the recess in the front incline and the rear wall havin a. `portion sloping inwardly from the vertical portion to the head, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

l OTEY'J. MCKNIGIIT.

Witnesses:

HENRY E. COOPER, Ewn. L. TonsoN. 

